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Re: Purdue University 2010-2011 Basketball Thread

Howard was pretty impressive the first 10 minutes of that first game. I think that new coach is gonna do some good there. Nice swarming zone. Too bad for them we've got some zone busters this year.

Of course the trade off is defense. Sounds like Oakland exposed some deficiences in that area Sunday. Tonight at least will give me the first reason to watch ESPN3 on the 360.

I think Byrd has proven he's a rotation player. The problem is Painter's playing him as a 6'5" PF. That's an indictment of Bade and Carroll to be sure, but goes to show you how thin we are up front. Hopefully Marcius can stay healthy, or else we're really up **** creek.

Re: Purdue University 2010-2011 Basketball Thread

Well, I tried watching, but it was an SD feed and I could only stand a couple minutes.

Sounds like Smith responded coming off the bench. He's always struck me as fitting the Todd Foster role anyway. Byrd played well, but I view this as a stop gap at best. Once conference play starts we're gonna need another big to step up, or we're gonna get murdered inside.

Re: Purdue University 2010-2011 Basketball Thread

So, uh, you guys really need a third option to draw attention off Moore and Johnson...Painter's past couple classes are coming up duds.

No, I think Terone's gonna be pretty good, and Barlow and Byrd should be good glue guys. And regardless of last night, we actually do have plenty of good shooters. We just desperately, desperately need some size.

I figured this would start Wednesday against VT, but I'm guessing Richmond actually watched some film on us. During the game, I looked at Richmond's ESPN page, and they were 225th in the nation in rebounding. And they had 10 more than us.

I find myself really wishing for some pro-style rules. Like putting Hummel on Injured Reserve and bringing Carroll up from the farm team. Or trading Hart and Barlow for a PF who can walk and chew gum at the same time.

Re: Purdue University 2010-2011 Basketball Thread

So, uh, you guys really need a third option to draw attention off Moore and Johnson...Painter's past couple classes are coming up duds.

I'm on the fence between deciding if they're duds or if they're too accustomed to being role players and can't/won't bring themselves to step up.

I agree with Kegboy that Terone Johnson will be good. He may lead the team in scoring next season. He'll be a star in the Big Ten before his career's over.

I like DJ Byrd, he's just about 4 inches too short for his game. He's a 3/4 tweener with the body of a combo guard. It's not a good mix, but I like his attitude. He's got as much fight in him as anybody on the roster.

John Hart is the only guy who's willing to really try and score.

There are plenty of excuses for the Richmond loss (4th game in 5 days, etc.) and some of them are valid. As Pacer fans we know how ugly a motion offense gets when no one moves. The bottom line, however, is that we got punched in the mouth by a good team and we really didn't punch back much.

My hunch is that we'll settle in to being a top 15-25 team and wind up with a 4 or 5 seed in the tourney and probably a 2nd round loss.

Oh, one other thought: In games like this one, I think Painter needs to take the reins off Lewis Jackson. He can create shots better than a stagnant motion offense.

Re: Purdue University 2010-2011 Basketball Thread

BTW, I didn't mean the duds comments to be offensive, a good coach can get by with 1 or 2 bad classes.

Admittedly, I haven't seen enough of Terone to have an opinion on him one way or the other, but he hasn't blown me away that is for sure.

As far as Barlow, I don't like him, I haven't liked him since I saw him in high school. I just don't think he's a very good player, and I have the same opinion of Byrd.

Perhaps the guy that would be the most frustrating to me is Lewis Jackson. He's been good, but he's never really lived up to the hype bestowed on him by the recruiters towards the end of his recruiting. He was being regarded as the same level of prospect as Verdell Jones by the time it was all said and done, and maybe even a little higher. He doesn't show any aggressiveness though IMO. Now maybe that's because Painter doesn't let him, but I tend to think that Painter is a good enough coach that if Jackson was showing that ability he would let him use it.

Re: Purdue University 2010-2011 Basketball Thread

Perhaps the guy that would be the most frustrating to me is Lewis Jackson. He's been good, but he's never really lived up to the hype bestowed on him by the recruiters towards the end of his recruiting. He was being regarded as the same level of prospect as Verdell Jones by the time it was all said and done, and maybe even a little higher. He doesn't show any aggressiveness though IMO. Now maybe that's because Painter doesn't let him, but I tend to think that Painter is a good enough coach that if Jackson was showing that ability he would let him use it.

While Jackson didn't necessarily play timidly after he came back from injury, I did get the feeling that he didn't want to rock the boat and diverge from the system. I don't know if that's necessarily carried over, but he has seemed to be pretty intent on not painting outside the lines, so to speak. I'd like to see Matt encourage him to be bolder out there, but as Melli points out, that contradicts a lot of what we try and do offensively.

We just need to get through tomorrow, then we've got a month to tinker before the big boys come knocking. But god help me, if the Big Ten loses the challenge because of us, I'm gonna scream.

Re: Purdue University 2010-2011 Basketball Thread

While Jackson didn't necessarily play timidly after he came back from injury, I did get the feeling that he didn't want to rock the boat and diverge from the system. I don't know if that's necessarily carried over, but he has seemed to be pretty intent on not painting outside the lines, so to speak. I'd like to see Matt encourage him to be bolder out there, but as Melli points out, that contradicts a lot of what we try and do offensively.

We just need to get through tomorrow, then we've got a month to tinker before the big boys come knocking. But god help me, if the Big Ten loses the challenge because of us, I'm gonna scream.

Don't worry Minnesota already ham stringed the conference by losing what should have been a sure win at home against a terrible Virginia team last night. ACC got a whole bunch of new life with that win.

Re: Purdue University 2010-2011 Basketball Thread

Don't worry Minnesota already ham stringed the conference by losing what should have been a sure win at home against a terrible Virginia team last night. ACC got a whole bunch of new life with that win.

Re: Purdue University 2010-2011 Basketball Thread

Re: Purdue University 2010-2011 Basketball Thread

Nice performance today by Purdue in beating Michigan on the road. It was close at halftime, but the Boilers took over in the 2nd half.

A really nice day for Ryne Smith, who set a career high in points with 17. It doesn't surprise me when he goes off at home, but he's starting to stroke the 3 with more consistency on the road. Purdue's offense looks a whole lot better when somebody other than Moore and Johnson is a scoring threat.

Heck of a stat line for Terone, too

4-6 fg, 2-4 3pt fg, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, just 1 turnover, 10 points

but a lot of those came in garbage time, while Smith was doing his damage all through the game.

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Re: Purdue University 2010-2011 Basketball Thread

Good win today for the Boilers. It was definitely good to see Smith get off early and often. Obviously not having Hummel is an enormous loss but if Moore and JJ can get some consistent help from a couple other guys there is no reason this team shouldn't contend for a Big Ten title.

Re: Purdue University 2010-2011 Basketball Thread

E'twuan pours in 31 today as Purdue downs a pesky Northwestern squad 82-69. Although Purdue spent a good part of the day with a decent lead, it never felt like it. If Shurna had been totally healthy, this game would've probably been much closer.

Another double-digit scoring game for Ryne Smith who missed his first five shots before sinking his last two, both 3s. Purdue also out-rebounded the Wildcats; it's always good to see the Boilers rebound well.

Next up is a road game at Penn State on Wednesday, which should be a battle but one Purdue should win. Nothing comes easy in the Big Ten, except for perhaps the game after that when Iowa comes to Mackey Arena for a Sunday matinee game. The first half of the Big Ten schedule is pretty soft for Purdue, at least compared to the second half, so it's crucial to pick up the wins now.

Re: Purdue University 2010-2011 Basketball Thread

I think we may have found our "3rd scorer" as these Ryne Smith outbursts are getting to be less and less a novelty. 5-5 on 3s and Smith leads the team in scoring in a 83-68 road win at Penn State. I was more impressed with Lewis Jackson though. Lewis had a career high in points, but it's been his overall game these last few weeks that have had me smiling. He's been playing great defense, he's scoring when needed, and he's been making good decisions.

E'twuan had an off game, which hasn't been uncommon for him at Penn State, but Kelsey Barlow and Terone Johnson picked up the slack. Terone still not shooting great, but he snagged 6 boards and dished out 4 assists. Another Travis Carroll sighting, which is encouraging.

Areas of concern are free throw shooting and difficulty at the rim. Purdue dominated the boards in this game, but that's greatly due to the fact they missed many shot close-in shots. Fortunately, they were able to grab many of their own misses, but they're not going to be able to do that so easily against the upper echelon of the Big Ten.